Poles wanted to escape their country, because the Germans controlled it starting in about 1870. Polish was replaced with German in schools, towns, cities, etc. Poles were required to serve four years in the German army. In the early 1900s, Poles wanted to escape the horrible conditions of World War II. People in Poland were also escaping the poverty, imprisonment, and death. The greatest number of Polish immigrants from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, came over from 1881-1900 and from 1921-1940. From 1881-1900, about 14,8526 Polish immigrants came over and from 1921-1941, about 244,760 Polish immigrants came over. Many Poles were planning on returning to their country after they made enough money in America and after the wars were over in their country. The majority of Poles immigrating in the early 1900s settled in cities in the north such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. Many Poles began as farmers because that is what they were used to doing in Poland. When many cities became more industrial, they became considered as manual laborers. They worked in coal mines, steel mills, iron foundries, slaughterhouses, and oil and sugar refineries. Out of all the immigrants from Poland that came over in the early 1900s, thirty percent went back to Poland at some point, and fifty-sixty percent out of them were not Jewish. Today there are 10,000,000 (3% of our population) Polish Americans living in America.
Poles wanted to escape their country, because the Germans controlled it starting in about 1870. Polish was replaced with German in schools, towns, cities, etc. Poles were required to serve four years in the German army. In the early 1900s, Poles wanted to escape the horrible conditions of World War II. People in Poland were also escaping the poverty, imprisonment, and death. The greatest number of Polish immigrants from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, came over from 1881-1900 and from 1921-1940. From 1881-1900, about 14,8526 Polish immigrants came over and from 1921-1941, about 244,760 Polish immigrants came over. Many Poles were planning on returning to their country after they made enough money in America and after the wars were over in their country. The majority of Poles immigrating in the early 1900s settled in cities in the north such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. Many Poles began as farmers because that is what they were used to doing in Poland. When many cities became more industrial, they became considered as manual laborers. They worked in coal mines, steel mills, iron foundries, slaughterhouses, and oil and sugar refineries. Out of all the immigrants from Poland that came over in the early 1900s, thirty percent went back to Poland at some point, and fifty-sixty percent out of them were not Jewish. Today there are 10,000,000 (3% of our population) Polish Americans living in America.